Breaking down the myth of two sexes
Nicky Phillips says gender is not either/or
Nicky Phillips, shown in her Richmond neighbourhood, has never thought of herself as anything but a woman, yet a genetic test would show she is a man. Photograph by: Ward Perrin, Vancouver Sun
Nicky Phillips never thought of herself as anything but a girl.
As a child, growing up in the 1940s and ’50s, she wore little-girl dresses, shiny shoes, and bobby socks. When she got a bit older, she started to wear lipstick and pearls and fuss about her hair.
Puberty brought with it the same uncertainty and awkwardness it brings most young women. But in Phillips’s case, her body wasn’t changing in the same ways it was for other girls.
She never got her period. She didn’t grow any underarm hair and had very little pubic hair. But she had an aunt who also never menstruated, so she never thought of it as anything out of the ordinary.
In her teens, she found out she didn’t have a uterus and would not be able to have children.
May 4th, 2011 at 1:29 pm
I’m in the process of completeing the application. My psychologist ,Katherine Rachlin of New York, has sent my letter directly to you. Did it arrive? I’m waiting for a copy to submit with the app. Thank you Sarah Riffle
May 7th, 2011 at 6:01 pm
Hi Sarah !!! Please contact suzanne at our office for your letter .. thanks 514-288-2097
June 2nd, 2011 at 2:12 pm
I’ve mailed my med.history along with my first letter. I have appointments with med. doctor next week. He said he would write his letter. I’m waiting for my second letter from PHD. What do I need to do at this point? Sarah